News Releases

Violinist Charles Castleman to Perform at Ithaca College

ITHACA, NY — Charles Castleman — who has performed as a soloist with orchestras on four continents — will visit Ithaca College on Friday, March 22, to give this year’s Louis K. Thaler Concert Violinist Series performance. He will be joined by pianist Claudia Hoca in a program featuring sonatas by Dvorak and Franck and Ysaye’s “Poeme Elegaic.” Free and open to the public, the concert will begin at 8:15 p.m. in Ford Hall in the James J. Whalen Center for Music. Castleman will also hold a master class for students in the School of Music.

In addition to performances at such international festivals as Marlboro, Budapest and Shanghai, Castleman has given solo performances with orchestras in Philadelphia, Boston, Brisbane, Chicago, Hong Kong, Moscow, Mexico City and Seoul. He is also a renowned teacher. A professor of violin at the Eastman School of Music, he founded and directs the Castleman Quartet Program, a workshop in solo and chamber performance praised by Yo-Yo Ma as “the best program of its kind. . . . A training ground in lifemanship.”

Claudia Hoca has received numerous awards, including top prizes in the Chopin Young Pianist Competition and the Washington International Bach Competition. She has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Boston Pops and the Philharmonia Virtuosi of New York. In addition, she is much sought after as a chamber music collaborator, with a repertoire ranging from Bach, Mozart, Chopin and Brahms to Stravinsky, Bernstein and Messiaen.

Louis’s son Manley H. Thaler and his immediate family provided the impetus for this gift. Before his death in 1979, Louis Thaler had a long and successful career as an Ithaca attorney and was the founder and senior partner in the Thaler and Thaler law firm. In addition to his professional and civic activities, Louis Thaler was an amateur violinist. The creation of the Louis K. Thaler Concert Violinist Series honors his love of music and ensures that outstanding violinists will always perform for the Ithaca College community and residents of the local area.

For more information, contact Jenny Stockdale, marketing communications manager in the School of Music, at jstockdale@ithaca.edu or (607) 274-3256.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodation should call (607) 274-3717 (voice), or email ekibelsbeck@ithaca.edu as much in advance of the event as possible.